4933.121
Company may shut off electricity - exception.

(A)
Except as provided in division (E) of
section 5117.11 of the Revised Code, an
electric light company shall not, for any reason, unless requested by the
consumer for safety reasons, or unless tampering with utility company equipment
or theft of electricity or utility company equipment has occurred, cease to
provide electricity to any residential consumer for the period beginning on the
fifteenth day of November and ending on the fifteenth day of the following
April, unless both of the following apply:

(2)
If the
occupant of residential premises is a tenant whose landlord is responsible for
payment for the service provided by the company, the company has, five days
previously, notified the occupant of its intent to discontinue service to the
occupant.

(B)
The
company shall not refuse to furnish electricity on account of arrearages due it
for electricity furnished to persons formerly receiving services at the
premises as customers of the company, provided the former customers are not
continuing to reside at the premises.

(C)
No company shall cease to provide
electricity to any residential premises between the fifteenth day of November
and the fifteenth day of April because of a failure to pay the amount due for
the electricity unless the company, at the time it sends or delivers to the
premises notices of termination, informs the occupant of the premises where to
obtain state and federal aid for payment of utility bills and for home
weatherization and information on local government aid for payment of utility
bills and for home weatherization.

(D)
On or before the first day of November, a
county human services department may request a company to give prior
notification of any residential service terminations to occur during the period
beginning on the fifteenth day of November immediately following the
department's request and ending on the fifteenth day of the following April. If
a department makes such a written request, at least twenty-four hours before
the company terminates services to a residential customer in the county during
that period for failure to pay the amount due for service, the company shall
provide written notice to the department of the residential customer whose
service the company so intends to terminate. No company that has received such
a request shall terminate such service during that period unless it has
provided the notice required under this division.

(E)
No company shall cease to provide
electricity to the residential premises of any residential consumer who is
deployed on active duty for nonpayment for electricity provided to the
residential premises. Upon return of a residential consumer from active duty,
the company shall offer the residential consumer a period equal to at least the
period of deployment on active duty to pay any arrearages incurred during the
period of deployment. The company shall inform the residential consumer that,
if the period the company offers presents a hardship to the consumer, the
consumer may request a longer period to pay the arrearages and, in the case of
a company that is a public utility as defined in section
4905.02 of the Revised Code, may
request the assistance of the public utilities commission to obtain a longer
period. No late payment fees or interest shall be charged to the residential
consumer during the period of deployment or the repayment period. If a company
that is a public utility determines that amounts owed by a residential consumer
who is deployed on active duty are uncollectible, the company may file an
application with the public utilities commission for approval of authority to
recover the amounts. The recovery shall be through a rider on the base rates of
customers of the company or through other means as may be approved by the
commission, provided that any amount approved to be recovered through a rider
or other means shall not be considered by the commission in any subsequent rate
determination. As used in this division, "active duty" means active duty
pursuant to an executive order of the president of the United States, an act of
the congress of the United States, or section
5919.29 or
5923.21 of the Revised Code.